Green list expansion ‘gives agents something meaningful to sell’

Trade bosses say ministers must quickly announce that double-vaccinated Brits visiting amber destinations won’t need to quarantine afterwards, in order to salvage summer sales.

Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, they welcomed last week’s expansion of the green list on the government’s traffic light system but said allowing fully vaccinated travellers to avoid self-isolation would be a ‘game-changer’.

Several Caribbean islands were added to the list, along with the Balearic Islands, Malta and Madeira – coming to effect from 4am on June 30.

Paul Cleary, chief executive at Caribtours, said: “It really does give everyone permission now to sell the Caribbean for the summer holidays.

“It gives agents something to sell something meaningful to sell for the summer holidays.”

He added: “The phones went crazy pretty immediately on Thursday night onwards, but of course, like everybody, I’m waiting for the much bigger news of when the amber restrictions will be eased.”

The operator has been selling holidays to amber destinations – which require 10 days of self-isolation upon return – but Cleary commented: “There’s an awful lot of people who are waiting for that reassurance of being on a green list or for the self-isolation to be lifted.”

Travel agent Gemma Antrobus, Haslemere Travel owner and managing director, said her phone was “not ringing off the hook” because there is still so much uncertainty.

She told the webcast that comments by German chancellor Angela Merkel last week had made consumers worried about facing quarantine when travelling to Europe – and highlighted how countries such as Portugal, Malta and Spain have since tightened entry restrictions.

Antrobus also emphasised the problem that the US is still not on the green list, which was affecting some of her major bookings for this summer.

“There has been a lot of work to do over the last few days, it’s not necessarily all been positive,” she said.

If an announcement about vaccinated travellers avoiding amber quarantine rules were to be made in early July, it would help agents “massively” and boost consumer confidence, she told the webcast.

Chris Wright, Sunvil managing director, agreed that such an announcement needs to come in early July.

He said: “If we can get that isolation removed from amber list destinations, it’ll be a game changer because then people will be able to say ‘ok, even if it’s green at the moment, and it goes to amber, at least I don’t have that barrier that I’m going to have to isolate potentially when I get back’.”

Cleary also said the removal of quarantine from amber rules would be a “game changer”.

He commented that the government’s decision to allow Uefa officials to attend Euro 2020 matches without quarantining – along with large numbers expected at other sporting events – made the current policy more difficult to understand.

“If we get this good news [about amber rules] in the next week, in the next 10 days…it will be a lifeline to many, many agents,” he said.

“Easing those restrictions on amber is the most any of us could hope for. And I hope we get it next week.”